Wesley Chapel area - Neighborhood search (Tampa, Fort Myers: HOA fees, low crime, daycare)

[Merl1977]

Hi!

My family (husband and 1 year old son) are relocating to FL. We are currently in the process of listing our home and we have narrowed down our search to 3 different areas of FL, Wesley Chapel, Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda & Ft Myers area (suburbs).

If you have an recommendation of a realtor please message me. Still searching... We are relocating from PA and this is the first time with a move like this so we really need someone knowledgeable, reliable and trustworthy.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on neighborhoods? We are looking for something in the 180-200k price range with the following:

-Small town feel
-Screened in pool
-Property with space meaning the houses aren't right on top of each other or pools butting against one another in the back. I want neighbors just want a bit of space too.
-Amenities nearby - grocery, shopping, daycare etc,
-Family friendly (ie. good schools, low crime, parks etc.)

If I am missing an important detail let me know. I am hoping some recommendations from the folks here will be helpful in our search.

[gulfer]

Wesley Chapel borders into New Tampa just South of County Line Road. Crossing that line into New Tampa (33647 zip code) increases them immediately Recommend being careful in regards to HOA and or CDD fees. Again, this can add a couple hundred dollars or more per month. Going East even a short distance brings a Zephyrhills address, but you don't kow the difference on the Western edge (you do if you go further).

There are more than a few subdivisions in the Wesley Chapel area. Lutz and Land O Lakes border Wesley Chapel on the Eastern side, so if you are looking over there as well you may want to view those areas. Staying in the 200K range with the pool may make it tight, but not sure what size, number of rooms, etc... that you want in your home.

Meadow Pointe to the South, Ashton Oaks and Ashley Pines further to the North, and Boyette Road further up to the North are my first guesses. Meadow Pointe is closest (less than 5 mins) to Publix, Wiregrass Mall and a few other places to shop and eat. Ashton Oaks and Ashley Pines is less than 10 mins and Boyette Road is up a ways.

Most pools come screened in if it is in the ground. I still occasionally see one not screened it, but very rare.

Watersedge is an up and coming newer subdivision being built up off of HWY 54.

[algia]

For the "small town feel" you might want to scrape Wesley Chapel, and look in Dunedin. Wesley chapel is subdivision central, and most homes are going to be very close to each other in your price range. For more space between homes you will have to add another $100k/$200k to your budget. If you end up in a more rural area, schools may not be as good.

This is mainly retirees: Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda

...and Fort Myers is 2 hours from Wesley Chapel, and has a completely different vibe, as in it is much nicer than Wesley Chapel by a long shot.


Also to consider is where you'll be working...that can make a big difference regarding where you will live, because it is pretty easy to get into a crappy commute here.

Originally Posted by Merl1977

Hi!

My family (husband and 1 year old son) are relocating to FL. We are currently in the process of listing our home and we have narrowed down our search to 3 different areas of FL, Wesley Chapel, Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda & Ft Myers area (suburbs).

If you have an recommendation of a realtor please message me. Still searching... We are relocating from PA and this is the first time with a move like this so we really need someone knowledgeable, reliable and trustworthy.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on neighborhoods? We are looking for something in the 180-200k price range with the following:

-Small town feel
-Screened in pool
-Property with space meaning the houses aren't right on top of each other or pools butting against one another in the back. I want neighbors just want a bit of space too.
-Amenities nearby - grocery, shopping, daycare etc,
-Family friendly (ie. good schools, low crime, parks etc.)

If I am missing an important detail let me know. I am hoping some recommendations from the folks here will be helpful in our search.

[bentlebee]

Wesley Chapel has a lot of nice communities and home prices listed within your price range.

Some have CDD's and HOA fees but some like Seven Oaks have a CDD and a HOA of just $65 a year so in the end it is not that high for getting a nice clubhouse, 3 pools, 5 tennis courts, play yards, etc.

Dunedin is nice too but the homes are older and most will require flood ins. which will increase your home owners ins. A lot and on top of that Wesley Chapel is in Pasco County with lower property taxes than Dunedin which is located in Pinellas County.

To me home owners ins. And property taxes should be carefully looked at so you know upfront how much it will cost you annually.